Total population | |
---|---|
2,222 (2011) [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Odisha | 2,222 [1] |
Languages | |
Odia, Munda | |
Religion | |
Autonomous Tribal Religion |
The Mankidia (also known as Mankadia, Mankidi, Mankirdia) [2] [3] [4] are a nomadic ethnic group of India that live in Odisha. Mankidias mostly live in the Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Sundergarh districts. [4] According to the 2011 census, the population of Mankidia was 2,222. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government. [1]
The Mankidia are an ethnic offshoot of the Birhor tribe. They specialize in catching monkeys (called mankada in Odia), hence their name was derived from the name that neighboring tribes called them. People believe that their origin is from Chota Nagpur Plateau. They might have migrated to different parts of Odisha and finally settled in the hilly areas.
The Mankidia are a semi-nomadic hunter/gatherer community. Traditionally skilled in rope making, catching, and hunting of monkeys, they are often employed by local people to drive away invasive monkeys in rural areas. They move around forests in small bands and stay at different temporary makeshift settlements called tanda/tandia. The tandia comprises a temporary dome-shaped leaf hut known as Kumbhas. They speak a form of Mundari language, and some can also speak Odia. [3] Each Tandia is headed by a religious head man called Dehuri. The Dehuri has an assistant called Naya.
The Mankidia people's religious beliefs are polytheistic. They believe in many malevolent and benevolent spirits and gods. Their supreme deities are Logobir and Budhimai. They also worship their ancestors for good health and success in hunting and harvesting forest produce.
Besides hunting they also engage in making baskets and ropes out of Siali fiber, Sabai grass and Jute, as well as making disposable plates made out of leaves called Khali .
Adivasi is the collective term for tribes of the Indian subcontinent, who are considered indigenous to places within India wherein they live, either as foragers or as tribalistic sedentary communities. The term is also used for ethnic minorities, such as Chakmas of Bangladesh, Khas of Nepal, and Vedda of Sri Lanka.
Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Odisha state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Odisha by area. Its headquarters are at Baripada. Other major towns are Rairangpur, Karanjia and Udala. As of 2011, it is the third-most-populous district of Odisha, after Ganjam and Cuttack.
The Chenchus are Adivasi, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life been based on hunting and gathering. The Chenchus speak the Chenchu language, a member of the Dravidian language family. In general, the Chenchu relationship to non-tribal people has been largely symbiotic. Some Chenchus have continued to specialize in collecting forest products for sale to non-tribal people. Many Chenchus live in the dense Nallamala forest of Andhra Pradesh.
The Domba or Dom are an ethnic group, or groups, scattered across India. In North India, the preferred self-designation is Dom.
The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon or Oraon, are a Dravidian ethnic group inhabiting in Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. They predominantly speak Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. In Maharashtra, Oraon people are also known as Dhangad or Dhangar.
The Kharia are an Austroasiatic tribal ethnic group from east-central India. They originally spoke the Kharia language, which belong to Austroasiatic languages. They are sub-divided into three groups known as the Hill Kharia, Delki Kharia and the Dudh Kharia. Amongst them, the Dudh Kharia is the most educated community.
The Banrawats are a native endangered ethnic minority group, originating and living in Uttarakhand, India. They are distributed in the districts of Pithoragarh, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar and in a small area confined to Western Nepal. They are the smallest Himalayan tribal group related to a larger ethno-linguistic group of Raji people. They are basically nomadic hunter-gatherers, but also work as agriculture and forest labourers. They are mainly dependent on forests, and also practice shifting cultivation. Their existence is threatened by developmental and wild life related projects. They were placed in forced settlements by the Government of India beginning in the 1980s.Many continue to move in semi-nomadic camps, but most are now settled into villages along the Mahakali River area straddling India.
Khonds are a tribal community in India. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, they are divided into the hill-dwelling Khonds and plain-dwelling Khonds for census purposes; all the Khonds identify by their clan and usually hold large tracts of fertile land but still practice hunting, gathering and slash-and-burn agriculture in the forests as a symbol of their connection to and ownership of the forest. Khonds speak the Kui and Kuvi languages and write them in Odia script.
The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Odiya, are native to the Indian state of Odisha and have the Odia language as their mother tongue. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state of Odisha, with significant minority populations in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar is the district headquarters. The district has 3 Sub-Divisions, Anandapur, Champua, and Keonjhar.
Birhor people (Birhul) are a tribal/Adivasi forest people, traditionally nomadic, living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand. They speak the Birhor language, which belongs to the Munda group of languages of the Austroasiatic language family.
The Bhunjias, are a primitive tribe of India .They mainly reside in Sunabeda plateau in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.They are mostly found in Nuapada district, which is roughly between 22° 55′ north and 21° 30′ north latitude and 82° 35′ east longitude. It was a part of Khariar Zamindari, which formed the eastern and the southeastern region of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh division in Central Province till 1 April 1936, when it was transferred to Odisha on its creation. It is now in Komna block of Nuapada district in Orissa. In Chhattisgarh they are found in Raipur district.
The Bhuyan are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgroups.
The Katkari also called Kathodi, are an Indian tribe from Maharashtra. They have been categorised as a Scheduled tribe. They are bilingual, speaking the Katkari language, a dialect of the Marathi-Konkani languages, with each other; they speak Marathi with the Marathi speakers, who are a majority in the populace where they live. In Maharashtra the Katkari have been designated a Particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), along with two other groups included in this sub-category: the Madia Gond and the Kolam. In the case of the Katkari this vulnerability derives from their history as a nomadic, forest-dwelling people listed by the British Raj under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, a stigma that continues to this day.
The Pano (Odia:ପାଣ) are a scheduled caste of Odisha. They are recognized as Scheduled Caste in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand officially. They speak Odia.
The Bathudi are an ethnic group found mainly in the north western part of Odisha. Some Bathudis, however migrated to neighbouring states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 220,859. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
The Sounti are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group found mainly in the districts of Kendujhar and Mayurbhanj, Odisha. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 112,803. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
The Bhuyan are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group found mainly in many districts of Odisha. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 220,859. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
The Kora are an ethnic group found in the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand and the Bangladeshi division of Rajshahi. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 260,000. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
The Binjhia is an ethnic group found in Odisha and Jharkhand. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 25,835. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.